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Family Development Theory

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Abstract

A chapter dedicated to family development theory (FDT) is not without controversy. Over the last several decades, family development theory has moved to a more analytic and multilevel theory, yet both supporters and foes seem to be locked into a simplistic interpretation of the theory that is dated and leave its current value disputed. This is confusing, because FTD’s founding metaphor of child development as a progression through invariant stages (e.g., Piaget) applied to the family unit has largely been rejected. Those that say that family development theory is like life course theory are also misdirected since they fail to recognize that life course theory has not identified a process or launched a real theory outside of the established concepts of age, cohort, and period. Our approach takes the reader through the historical evolution of family development theory and highlights the revolutionary point at which the theory emerged from metaphors to analytic models and propositions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada

    Todd F. Martin

  2. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    James M. White

Authors
  1. Todd F. Martin
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  2. James M. White
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Correspondence to Todd F. Martin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Kari Adamsons

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    April L. Few-Demo

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Education and Human Development University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Christine Proulx

  4. Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Kevin Roy

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Martin, T.F., White, J.M. (2022). Family Development Theory. In: Adamsons, K., Few-Demo, A.L., Proulx, C., Roy, K. (eds) Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methodologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92002-9_12

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